The Waratahs are poised to win their first Super Rugby championship after beating the Brumbies on Saturday night. They were the best offensive and defensive team in the competition, but it was their defence that proved the difference in this brutal semi-final. The Brumbies pressed and pressed, but couldn't find a way through the blue line with last-ditch tackles keeping their lead in tact. It was reminiscent of the Rumble in the Jungle, that famous boxing match where Muhammad Ali sat back on the ropes and soaked up everything George Foreman threw at him. He then exploded at an exhausted Foreman to take the fight. It was the same with the Tahs, they soaked up the pressure and then attacked on the break. A combination of speed and power putting them out of reach in the dying minutes. Whether the Brumbies needed to be more patient or simply lacked that cutting edge is the hot topic for Canberra water coolers on Monday. Certainly losing Henry Speight in the second half took away one of their true match-winners.

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The Brumbies knew a quick start was crucial to their hopes of toppling the Waratahs. But they got off to the worst possible start when Nic White threw a loose pass from the base of a ruck and speedster Alofa Alofa sprinted 60 metres to score the first try of the game. It was a carbon copy of the way the Brumbies started against the Waratahs four weeks ago, with Alofa latching on to an intercept to score against the run of play. When Bernard Foley slotted a penalty, the Brumbies trailed 8-0 after the first 20 minutes. The Waratahs' defence was brutal, shutting down the Brumbies' attack. But it was Speight who broke the momentum and settled the Brumbies' nerves after 30 minutes. Speight scored in the corner, cutting the lead to three points and when Christian Lealiifano slotted a penalty just before half-time the scores were locked at 8-8. They're good work to get back in the contest came undone when they gave away a penalty on the buzzer to allow the Waratahs to have a three-point lead at half-time.

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PEYPER OUT OF DEPTH

There's a reason Jaco Peyper won't be the referee for the Super Rugby final next week. And he showed in a disappointing performance in the Waratahs-Brumbies blockbuster. Peyper failed to act when the Waratahs continually killed the Brumbies' ball in attack and made several key calls which helped the home side. Craig Joubert and Steve Walsh are the two best referees in the competition. SANZAR made a mistake by changing them for the crucial semi-final matches. The Waratahs failed to roll away at the ruck all night and the game had no momentum. The Brumbies have no one to blame but themselves for struggling to score despite having a mountain of second-half possession. But you can bet you won't be seeing Peyper in the grand final either. Peyper pinned the Waratahs eight times inside their own half for infringements, Waratahs players spent all night slowing the Brumbies' ball down and the fast-paced defensive line continually pushed the off-side boundary. But while Craig Joubert gave a Waikato Chiefs player a yellow card for killing the ball just minutes into the qualifier final, Peyper wasn't prepared to take the same stance.

It's no secret that Christian Lealiiano has struggled with the boot this season. Last season he was one of the best kickers in the game. But since coming back from ankle surgery, he has struggled with his radar. The Brumbies persisted with him, keeping faith in the Wallabies inside-centre. But a costly miss came back to haunt the Brumbies just three minutes into the second half. Trailing by just three points, Lealiifano shanked a shot from almost directly in front. Had he nailed it, scores would have been locked and the Brumbies would have been in the contest just after the break. Instead, the Waratahs composed themselves, put pressure on the Brumbies and then scored down the opposite end when Kurtley Beale stole the ball off Jesse Mogg. All of a sudden instead of being locked at 8-8, the Brumbies trailed 16-8.

BONGO'S COURAGE

Most people outside of Canberra don't know who Josh Mann-Rea is. The majority in Canberra probably don't know either. But his courage through the Super Rugby finals series will be remembered as one of the great efforts in Brumbies history. Hooker Mann-Rea, or 'Bongo', stepped up to fill the shoes of injured Wallabies captain Stephen Moore. But just a week before he was to be thrust into his first Super Rugby starting role, he tore his hamstring. That was more than a month ago, but he's been so determined to keep fighting through to ensure the Brumbies have a specialist rake, he's pushed his body to the absolute limit. After just a few minutes Brumbies staff were checking on the 33-year-old veteran of 10 games. He was noticeably hobbling. But no way was he being taken off the field. To Mann-Rea's credit, he stayed out there and was never a passenger. His lineout throwing was spot-on and he deserves the new contract he's about to sign to stay in Canberra.

AUSTRALIAN RUGBY THRIVING

Who said rugby in Australia was dead? Waratahs fans packed Allianz Stadium for the biggest Australian Super Rugby match in more than a decade. There were five busloads of Brumbies fans who left Canberra on Saturday afternoon to make the trip to Sydney and even Brumby Jack made an appearance, despite being banned from the field. The ARU's financial woes have been well documented, and the game needs to capitalise on the Brumbies-Waratahs semi-final. They need fans who got their first taste of Super Rugby to return next year if the game is to survive in the tight Australian market. The Brumbies got just 14,000 to their qualifying final against the Waikato Chiefs last weekend, a disappointing turnout for just the second final in Canberra in 10 years. The crowd of 38,800 on Saturday night was the biggest in Sydney since 2005. But for fans to come, Australian teams need to be winning.